Overview

• The joint statement was issued on September 23 by eight independent UN mandate holders, including Francesca Albanese, Alexandra Xanthaki, K. P. Ashwini and the four members of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
• They argue any sporting sanctions should target the State of Israel and its national teams and clubs rather than individual players to avoid discrimination based on nationality.
• The call grounds its legal rationale in a recent UN Commission of Inquiry conclusion that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and a 2024 International Court of Justice decision outlining state obligations.
• The experts urged countries that host international sports bodies or events, as well as those competing with Israel, to consider their legal and moral duties and to reject neutrality in the face of genocide.
• FIFA and UEFA had not responded publicly, and if a suspension were imposed Israeli national teams and clubs would be ineligible for World Cup and Euro qualifiers and UEFA club competitions, mirroring precedents involving Russia and Belarus.